Summer Update 2020: Eat out to Help out on Mersea Island.

When you’re breathing in fresh, salty air and enjoying the #onthewater vibe with us at seaskipr.com, you invariably work up a healthy appetite – and on Mersea Island, you’re spoiled for choice over where to satisfy it.

So we’ve decided to do some of the (sea) leg-work for you with our recommendations for great places to eat and, having lived here for 25 years, we know what we’re talking about! Here are some of our favourites, in no particular order…

West Mersea

1. The Company Shed

Mersea’s most famous seafood shack sells award-winning Colchester Native oysters, cultivated on the island by the Haward family for eight generations. It’s not exactly fancy – kitchen-roll napkins and bring your own bread are the order of the day – but there are often queues out the door by lunchtime for the simple reason that the seafood is exceptional.

We love: oysters or a seafood platter

2. The Gilt Rooms

Pop into this gorgeous little place and you’ll quickly discover why it’s winning awards. Irresistible afternoon teas (dairy/gluten-free on request), an Italian evening menu featuring classic sauces and speciality pasta, vegetarian and vegan options plus summer bank holiday barbecues and its very own outdoor cinema club make it a real gilty treat (sorry, couldn’t resist).

We love: dropping in for drop-scone pancakes at breakfast www.thegiltrooms.com

3. West Mersea Oyster Bar

Bag a table by the window so you can enjoy a captivating view over the West Mersea creeks as well as terrific local oysters, seafood platters and huge portions of succulent fish and chips. Sister company the Mersea Island Fish Bar, a few minutes’ stroll away from our accommodation space, Bran’s Estate in the High Street, combines a well-stocked fishmonger with a cracking chippy.

We love: oysters and the crab chowder

4. Waterfront Bistro

Waterfront Oriental By day the Bistro is all full-English breakfasts and lunchtime burgers, baguettes and super- fresh fish, with a small selection of Chinese sides and mains… Come Tuesday to Sunday evenings, however, you’re transported to the Far East – OK, into the dining room – for a full menu of authentic Oriental dishes. It probably shouldn’t work, but it does and some.

We love: crispy duck, seafood chow mein and the gorgeous views over the estuary Waterfront Bistro

5. The Artcafé

Run by husband-and-wife team Maggie (a chef) and James (an artist), the café is a buzzing spot for enjoying excellent cake and coffee made with Suffolk-roasted beans, surrounded by original art. Much of the produce is local, including Mersea rare-breed pork and free range eggs. Next door-but-one, their Cakehole Deli stocks artisan bread, cheeses, meats, olives and cakes – perfect for seaside picnics.

We love: Mersea rarebit, Maggie’s cakes (all of them)

6. The Dukes Seafood

Lovely fresh seafood and home-made cakes served from a tiny little shed on the sea side of the Coast Road – if this place were any closer to the water, it would be snorkelling. OK, it’s outdoor seating only, but none the worse for it – there are few things in life better than a pot of spankingly fresh shellfish with the sun on your face (well, perhaps a glass of something chilled to go with, if you twist our arms).

We love: a crab platter with a cold beer thedukesseafood.wixsite.com/dukes

7. Cowabunga Pizza

We’re lucky on this little island to have so many family-run eateries that cook with real love, and this is most definitely one of them. It ticks every pizza box: wood-fired, hand-stretched, vegan bases (vegan mozzarella and gluten-free bases available, too) and classic toppings, from pepperoni, nduja and veggie to portobello mushrooms, ham and pineapple.

We love: the garlic bread, greatest of all time (GOAT) pizza www.cowabunga-pizza.com

8. Seaview Café

Not surprisingly, opposite the beach (and Mersea’s famous, candy-coloured beach huts), this is a favourite haunt of locals and visitors alike. It serves everything you’d expect, including breakfast, ice creams, home-baked cakes and cream teas, plus “pimp your own” Mersea Moo-shakes. Ingredients are sourced as locally as possible, and there are plenty of vegetarian options, too. A great place to chill.

We love: a breakfast bap with a latte macchiato and the Sunday papers www.seaviewcafemersea.co.uk

East Mersea

9. Dog and Pheasant

At the edge of Cudmore Grove Country Park, the Dog and Pheasant is the only pub- restaurant on the east side of the island. Under new ownership since February 2020, it’s now got a dog-friendly bar (well-behaved owners also welcome), and a traditional log-burner warms you up a treat on colder days. It’s open daily, serving great-value pub favourites, including beer-battered cod and steak and chips, plus vegetarian options. We love: the steak and ale pie (and the dogs love the doggie bar snacks) www.facebook.com/TheDogandPheasantEastMersea

10. Mersea Island Vineyard Vintage Tea Room

This boutique site produces four decent whites, including Mehala dry (perfect with the local oysters), as well as six real ales (the award-winning Oyster stout is also perfect with… you can work it out). Pop into Maria’s Vintage Tea Room within the grounds after wine o’clock to give them a test drive, along with all the usual lunch-time family favourites, including paninis, jackets, soups, cakes and scones, plus vegan options.

We love: the Sunday roast lunch

11. Seafood at Dawn

If you’re already familiar with Mersea, you’ll no doubt remember Mehalahs restaurant, run until recently by the owners of the Company Shed. It’s now been reborn as Seafood at Dawn, named after the boat that brings in their fish. Well worth a visit for fantastic seafood in a chilled atmosphere, especially if you fancy a spin on the original juke box.

We love: the seafood platter, scallops, pint of prawns www.facebook.com/seafoodatdawn

12. Mersea Barns

This is a little gem – a fully-accessible café with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, alongside a handy shop stocked with all the essentials plus local arts and crafts. It’s a great stop-off for brunch or a cream tea after a walk in the country park, and Sunday lunch comes with live piano music as well as well as Yorkshire puddings and crispy, golden, duck-fat roasted potatoes.

We love: the home-made hash browns and triple-cooked chips www.merseabarns.com

Mersea Island is off the east coast of Essex, about an hour from Stansted Airport by car, an hour from London by train and just under two hours from Heathrow or Gatwick Airports. Join us at seaskipr.com – stay, sail and enjoy great food on Mersea Island.

Learn more about seaskipr.com

See our booking page for further details.

If you’ve never sailed before but want to, we at seaskipr.com can help you to take those first steps onboard.
If you’re looking for new adventure, we at seaskipr.com can show you a different, calmer side to Essex with our boat trips or river cruises.
If you’d just like to relax on board and soak up the atmosphere, we at seaskipr.com can sail you and your party on a memorable journey up and down the Blackwater.
Make it a stay and sail mini-holiday by booking our fully appointed West Mersea located accommodation

After a hard day’s sail: 12 great places to eat on Mersea Island